Getty Mary Cheney and Heather Poe in 2004
Part of the Vice movie about Dick Cheney tells the story of his family, including his daughter Mary Poe and how Dick and Lynne Cheney supported her when she went public as a lesbian during a very controversial time. Is this true? Yes, Mary Cheney is happily married to Heather Poe (you can see them in the picture above) and today they have two children. Dick and Lynne Cheney have indeed supported them, even though conflict with her sister Elizabeth “Liz” Cheney. Read on for more details.
Mary Cheney is the youngest daughter of Dick and Lynne Cheney.
In 2012 Mary Cheney and longtime partner Heather Poe were married, 20 years after their first date, People reported. Mary and Heather first met in the late 1980s or early 1990s when they were ice hockey competitors, The Washington Post reported. Cheney said that she was a goalie and Heather was a defenseman. “I think she scored on her first shot because I was really bad,” Mary said. Mary graduated from college in 1991, and she and Heather started dating the next year. They bought homes in the Denver area in 1994 and 1998, where they lived for several years.
When Dick Cheney received the vice presidential nomination, Mary and Heather were unsure about being thrust in the spotlight as a lesbian couple. Heather told Mary: “It’s not my first choice, but I love you and we’ll figure out a way to deal with whatever happens next.” In 2005, the couple left Colorado and settled in Great Falls, The Washington Post reported. Mary was an executive with AOL and Heather later became a stay-at-home mom for their two kids.
Mary, 43 when they were married in 2012, already had two children with Heather: Samuel, then 5, and Sarah, then 2. Dick and Lynne Cheney posed happily for this photo with Samuel shortly after he was born.
GettyDick Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, welcome their sixth grandchild, Samuel David Cheney May 23, 2007.
Here’s a photo of Mary and her two children today, shared on Facebook in September:
FacebookMary Cheney and her children
In 2009, Dick Cheney publicly endorsed same-sex marriage, People reported. After Heather and Mary’s wedding, Lynne gave a congratulatory public statement:
Mary and Heather have been in a committed relationship for many years, and we are delighted that they were able to take advantage of the opportunity to have that relationship recognized. Mary and Heather and their children are very important and much loved members of our family and we wish them every happiness.”
But not everyone in the Cheney family supported Mary and Heather. Mary’s sister, Elizabeth “Liz” Cheney, is opposed to gay marriage and spoke to Fox News about that in 2013.
Heather Poe, unlike much of the Cheney family, is private and quiet, The Washington Post shared in 2013. She’s not interested in talking to the media, but she made a very public statement on Facebook after Liz spoke on Fox News about her opposition to gay marriage in 2013. Here is what she wrote:
I was watching my sister-in-law on Fox News Sunday (yes Liz, in fifteen states and the District of Columbia you are my sister-in-law) and was very disappointed to hear her say ‘I do believe in the traditional definition of marriage.’ Liz has been a guest in our home, has spent time and shared holidays with our children, and when Mary and I got married in 2012 — she didn’t hesitate to tell us how happy she was for us. To have her now say she doesn’t support our right to marry is offensive to say the least. I can’t help but wonder how Liz would feel if as she moved from state to state, she discovered that her family was protected in one but not the other. I always thought freedom meant freedom for EVERYONE.”
Mary Cheney supported her wife, writing that Liz was “on the wrong side of history.” At the time, many of Mary’s posts on Facebook were public. She has since made her posts private.
Dick and Liz Cheney released the following statement about the controversy in 2013:
Statement from Dick & Lynne Cheney on gay marriage http://t.co/poXjyqVpZg
Today, Mary and Heather are still married and happily raising their children. They live in Great Falls, Virginia.
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Mary Cheney & Heather Poe Real Story: Photos & Updates Today